Review: ‘The Good Liar’ pairs Mirren and McKellen

For a blind date, we could hardly do better than Helen Mirren and Ian McKellen.

They are brought swiftly together by a computer dating service in the opening minutes of “The Good Liar.” Both click “widowed.” When they cautiously sit down in a quiet London restaurant, and Mirren begins sipping a martini, it’s hard not think they’re a match made in heaven.

And yet “The Good Liar,” a modest middlebrow thriller, never lives up to the sheer pleasure of seeing its two leads together, for the first time as co-stars. Directed by Bill Condon (“Kinsey,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “Dreamgirls”) and adapted from Nicholas Searle’s 2016 novel, “The Good Liar” has the polish that you would expect from all involved, but little of the sparkle.

This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Ian McKellen, right, and Helen Mirren in a scene from "The Good Liar." (Chia JamesWarner Bros. Pictures via AP)

Immediately, there’s a play between truth and deceit. When Roy Courtnay (McKellen) is filling out his dating profile, he selects “non-smoker” while a cigarette smolders nearby. Right after their meeting, Roy — once out of eyeshot from Mirren’s Betty McLeish — quickly sheds his kindly old gentleman persona and skips into a nightclub to hash out a scheme with his co-conspirators over champagne.

What unfolds goes considerably further than the small exaggerations and distortions commonly found on Tinder pages. “The Good Liar” delves into deeper falsehoods of identity and history, teasing out a twisty narrative that winds its way back to World War II. It aspires to the psychological intrigue of Patricia Highsmith or John Le Carre without ever summoning such a thick air of mystery and danger.

Roy is a conman. He’s got a few hustles going on, but his focus is drawn increasingly to getting close to Betty and robbing her of her small fortune, one amassed from a career as a history professor at Oxford. She lives outside London, and Roy’s quick insertion into her life (he feigns a bad limp to score a bed in her guest room) raises the suspicions of Betty’s grandson, Steven (Russell Tovey).

This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Ian McKellen, left, and Helen Mirren in a scene from "The Good Liar." (Chia JamesWarner Bros. Pictures via AP)

It would give too much away to discuss the film’s big reveal, but there also isn’t a great deal worth discussing aside from that. For one, we can see a major turn coming all along in the script by Jeffrey Hatcher (who previously teamed with Condon and McKellen for “Mr. Holmes”). Mirren is far too cunning an actress to simply play a suckered old lady in the suburbs. We know it’s just a matter of time until her intelligence and ferocity reveal itself.

In the meantime, there are a few things to chew on, mainly the stirring score by the great Carter Burwell (“Carol,” “No Country for Old Men”) and the undeniable talents of Mirren and McKellen, who stitch the film together through subtle, skillful glances and gestures. They’re artists at play, clearly enjoying each other’s company.

“The Good Liar” is a kind of film one wants to love. Such old-fashioned genre movies, let alone those starring actors in their 70s and 80s, are hard to find these days. But in trying to take a simple crime set-up and stretch it into a more sweeping tale of vengeance and victimhood, “The Good Liar” has to make some fairly preposterous moves to get there, and it doesn’t do a very good job of cloaking them.

This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Ian McKellen, right, and Helen Mirren in a scene from "The Good Liar." (Chia JamesWarner Bros. Pictures via AP)

If you’re in the mood for a Hitchcockian thriller rooted in the crimes of Nazi Germany, hunt instead for Christian Petzold’s underseen “Phoenix.” Now that film will flatten you.

"The Good Liar," a Warner Bros. release, is rated R by the Motion Picture Association of America for some strong violence, and for language and brief nudity. Running time: 110 minutes. Two and a half stars out of four.

MPAA definition of R: Restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

Follow AP Film Writer Jake Coyle on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jakecoyleAP

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Tyler Perry was sued for sexual assault by an actor who appeared in “Boo! A Madea Halloween,” marking the second lawsuit in recent months accusing the filmmaker and studio mogul of leveraging his power in Hollywood to make sexual advances.

Mario Rodriguez filed the lawsuit Thursday in California, alleging Perry subjected him to repeated unwanted sexual advances over several years, including sexual battery and assault at Perry’s Los Angeles home. Rodriguez is seeking at least $77 million in damages and also has sued Lionsgate, which distributed the 2016 film, accusing the studio of turning a blind eye to Perry’s alleged misconduct.

Lionsgate did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

In a statement, Perry's lawyer denied the allegations.

According to the complaint, Rodriguez was approached in 2014 by a trainer at an Equinox gym in Los Angeles who said Perry wanted his phone number to discuss an acting role. Perry later encouraged Rodriguez to audition for “Boo! A Madea Halloween,” telling him, “I’m not a bad person to know and have in your corner,” the lawsuit claims.

After Rodriguez was cast, he was invited to Perry’s home, where Perry allegedly touched him inappropriately while they watched a movie. The lawsuit describes additional alleged incidents in 2016, 2018 and 2019, including one encounter in which Perry allegedly attempted to unbuckle Rodriguez’s pants and another in which Perry placed Rodriguez’s hand on his genitals. The complaint says Perry gave Rodriguez $5,000 on multiple occasions following the encounters.

Rodriguez says he resisted the advances and ultimately decided to file suit after learning of similar allegations made by another actor, Derek Dixon.

Dixon sued Perry in June, alleging the filmmaker groped him while Dixon worked on Perry’s television series “The Oval” and “Ruthless.” That lawsuit, which was originally filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, has reportedly since been moved to federal court in Georgia, where Perry's studio is based.

Rodriguez’s lawsuit includes claims of sexual assault, sexual battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

FILE - Tyler Perry arrives at the BET Awards, June 9, 2025, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)